Senate didn’t indict SGF – Ndume

The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, on Monday said the upper chamber of the National Assembly has not indicted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal.

Ndume said the Senate has not taken decision on a committee’s report which seemed to indict the SGF.

He also maintained that the Senate did not reject the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

On Senate recommendation for the sack of the SGF, he said “it’s not an order we are giving. The Senate resolution is a recommendation, it’s not a law. What the Senate considered is work in progress because it was an interim report.

“It is the same members of the public that are interested and worried to know what we have done as a Senate about those allegations. The committee issued an interim report and the interim report seemed to indict the SGF. The consequences of that indictment are what they recommended but we are not there yet because the report itself is interim. Ok, we take the interim report and we give the public until the whole investigation is concluded.

“I heard, coming from the SGF that he has not been given a fair hearing. So the hearing has not finished. We can give him an ample time to go before the committee and clear himself.”

On Magu, Ndume said the Senate only demanded some clarification from President Buhari following a report received from the Department of State Service (DSS).

He said, “No, no no. Let me say categorically that the Senate did not reject Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of EFCC. What happened was that when we slated his confirmation for Thursday, then we had an issue or a letter from the Department of State Security (DSS) that could not allow us to continue with the confirmation without further clarifications.

“So, we now concluded that since we have a letter that we cannot ignore, we cannot do the confirmation. So, it was not that we sat down to take a decision that we have rejected Ibrahim Magu. So, I want to say that to come out clearly.”

Senate! Stop testing the public, you people cannot be speaking from both sides of your mouths. As much as I believe Senaotor Ndume is a tested politician who is not afraid to speak out irrespective of who is involved, I still think the Senate should put its house in order and stop playing the public. Senator Ndume seem to be the only one that can clarify issues. We are tired of being confused with your antecedents.